KINESICSBODY MOVEMENTS AND GESTURES

VALENTINE T BONDEVALENTINE T BONDESYMPATHY MUTANDIRISYMPATHY MUTANDIRI

ENESSY MAKAUREENESSY MAKAURE

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DEFINITION

• Comes from the Greek word Kinesis, Which means movement and refers to study of the arm, body and

face movements• According to (Miriam-Webster, 1952), It is the study

of the relationship between non-linguistic body motions and communication

• The most well known non-verbal form of communication

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RELEVANT CONCEPTS INCLUDE

1. Emblems2. Illustrators3. Affect Displays 4. Regulators5. Adaptors6. Postures and Gait

7. Gestures

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EMBLEMS

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EMBLEMS•movements which have a direct verbal translation, generally a word or phrase•Can be still or in motion•Vary within culture EXAMPLES: handshake, shaking a fist at someone, a smile, a frown NB; (They are not part of a formal sign system like ASL that is explicitly taught to a group of people)

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ILLUSTRATORS

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ILLUSTRATORS

•Gestures which accompany words to illustrate a verbal message•No meaning on themselves and serves and function emphasis•Involuntary and seemingly natural

• EXAMPLES

Two palms held up signify “I don’t know." Wagging a finger while making a point

Rolling one’s eyes in disbelief

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ADAPTORS

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ADAPTORS• Adaptors are behavioral adoptions in response to certain situations• Used to relieve tension and believed to be associated with negative feeling• Can be targeted towards self, object or others• Self include ; scratching, turtling hair and some manifest internally,(e.g. Coughs or throat clearing

sounds), adjusting uncomfortable glasses, or represent a psychological need such as biting fingernails when nervous

• adaptors are more likely to be restrained in public places

• Object adaptors include:• Tapping a pencil• Drumming one’s fingers• Adjusting one’s clothing• Playing with jewelry

• Adaptors when students take tests– Hair twirling– Scratching– Ear pulling– Forehead rubbing

• Affect displays may or may not be intentional

• Affect displays convey feeling and emotion

• They are often communicated via facial expressions

• They can be difficult to interpret

• Interpreting affect displays:– Look at the face to determine the

emotion– Look at body cues to determine the

strength or intensity of the emotion.

• Regulators are primarily unintentional

• They regulate turn-taking behavior

• Conversational give and take depends on regulators

• Types of turn-taking• Turn-requesting cues• Turn maintaining cues• Turn yielding cues• Turn denying cues

• Regulate the ebb and flow of conversation

• Posture can reflect people's emotions, attitudes and intentions

• the position or carriage of the body in standing or sitting

POSTURES

• Expressions related to posture, gait– “grow a spine”– walking with a “spring in your

step”– “stand up for yourself”– “stand up straight”– “hold your head high”– “don’t slouch.”– “stand still”

• In Western culture, an upright, yet relaxed body posture, is associated with confidence, positivity, high self esteem (Guerrero & Floyd, 2006).

• Are these couples getting along?

CONCLUSION

• Emblems - Substitute for words and phrases• Illustrators - Accompany or reinforce verbal messages• Affect Displays - Show emotion• Regulators - Control the flow and pace of communication• Adaptors - Release physical or emotional tension

• Kinesic behaviors are an important part of nonverbal communication. Body movements convey information, though interpretations vary by culture. As many movements are carried out at a subconscious or at least a low-awareness level, kinesic movements carry a significant risk of being misinterpreted in an intercultural communication situation

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